Captain Paul's Firehouse Dogs, Lawrenceville

Sometimes just a dog will do and Captain's Paul's hit the spot - dead center.

J and I stopped here for lunch today and were impressed. I ordered a "Full Box" which is fireman's lingo for sending out everything from the station house. Here at Captain Paul's its a steamed Hatfield dog with a generous helping of sauerkraut, chopped sweet onions, relish and your choice of mustard. At $2, it's a steal and next time I'm ordering two.

Captain Paul, a retired Trenton fire captain, and his wife bought the former Italian ice stand a year ago and have since expanded the menu to include dogs and other items. Everything from the kitchen is named for a member of the service industry (troopers, general, EMT, paramedic, etc).

J had the General which is a two buffalo chicken tenders with a nice tangy sauce and blue cheese on a torpedo roll. Filling and good.

They also have an extensive selection of fried sides, hard and soft ice creams, shakes, sundaes and Italian ice. I had an order of onion rings and a chocolate shake. Both were very good.

There are picnic tables in their side yard and nice furniture with umbrellas out front to accomodate everyone. Plenty of parking as well.

The place is on Princeton Pike - out the back entrance of the Lawrence Shopping Center (plaza with Burlington Coat Factory off Route 1 Business,south).

That's a great list! Check out Heids in Liverpool, NY (Syracuse) when you get up that way. A classic that's been around since 1917 serving Hoffman hots. Get a white (coney) and a red (frank). http://heidsofliverpool.com/

NJ Monthly named Captain Paul's a critic's pick in the recent 2012 poll. Hopefully it will entice more people to support Captain Paul's as they are our local and regional fav.

We stopped in for lunch on Saturday. Enjoyed two Full Boxes (Hatfield dog, sauerkraut, onions, relish and mustard), a Third Alarm (Hatfield dog, chili, onions and mustard) and a side of O-rings. Great people as well.

Next time there, ask which Hatfield dog. They have several. Most, in my opinion are horrible. They have one which is very good. It's the Hatfield NY style deli dog which is much better quality and has a natural casing. Made in PA to compete with Best and Sabrett. I'm guessing this is the dog served here.

Thanks for the post. They're a short drive from my client's offices, and I stopped in for lunch today. A little surprised to see only 4 seats at the counter, but the outdoor dining facilities were pretty good.

Had a 2 alarm (chili & cheese dog) and a Seal Team 6 (mustard and NY style onions).

Finally got there today. Had the italian dog with peppers, potatoes and three monkeys' mustard on a torpedo roll. Good mustard-sweet and spicy with a delayed reaction on the spicy part. Big roll, little dog, so next time I'd order 2 (and I'd add sauerkraut). Only minor complaint--I didn't expect the potatoes to be french fries-- Aren't they usually a pan fried or roasted potato on a true Italian dog? No matter, I enjoyed it. Nice blend-in ice cream for dessert. It's a tiny place full of all sorts of police and fire memorabila--including a patch from the Int'l Space Station.

Office just relocated down the road. Stopped in today for the Italian hot dog with sweet potato fries. The sweet potato fries were spot on - hot and crispy. The Italian dog disappointed. Sure didn't taste like the hot dog was fried although I think the menu said it was. Found it kind of bland, and wasn't crazy about the torpedo roll (was hoping for pizza bread) or the very dry potatoes. The whole package just wasn't greasy enough for me. That said, I really liked the place (its tiny) and the people working it. Will be back to try something different next time.

In the Trenton area most Italian hot dogs are on some sort of hoagie/sub/torpedo roll. Pizza bread is mostly found closer to Newark. Were the potatoes deep fried or griddled? Still have been meaning to visit here.